Access to new medications for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis: patient, provider and community perspectives.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is on the rise, and is difficult to treat. The approval of two new drugs, bedaquiline and delamanid, and growing evidence for the use of linezolid, offer renewed hope for addressing MDR-TB. However, access to these medicines remains a significant challenge.

Complications of tuberculosis.

Purpose Of Review: Diagnosis and management of tuberculosis (TB) remains challenging and complex because of the heterogeneity of disease presentations. Despite effective treatment, TB disease can lead to significant short-and long-term health consequences. We review potential acute and chronic complications of TB disease and current management approaches.

West nile virus prevalence across landscapes is mediated by local effects of agriculture on vector and host communities.

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) threaten the health of humans, livestock, and wildlife. West Nile virus (WNV), the world's most widespread arbovirus, invaded the United States in 1999 and rapidly spread across the county. Although the ecology of vectors and hosts are key determinants of WNV prevalence across landscapes, the factors shaping local vector and host populations remain unclear.

A prospective multicenter study of written action plans among emergency department patients with acute asthma.

Background: The prevalence of written "action plans" (APs) among emergency department (ED) patients with acute asthma is unknown.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of APs among ED patients, to describe the demographic and clinical profile of patients with and without APs, and to examine the appropriateness of response to an asthma exacerbation scenario.

Methods: Using a standard protocol, 49 North American EDs performed a prospective cohort study involving interviews of 1,756 patients, ages 2-54, with acute asthma.

Combination polyene-caspofungin treatment of rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis.

Background: It has been axiomatic that echinocandins (e.g., caspofungin) are ineffective against mucormycosis.

Benign esophagobronchial fistula with and without esophageal obstruction: two ends of the surgical spectrum.

Acquired esophagobronchial fistula (EBF) is uncommon and its surgical remediation is challenging. Management depends on the cause, degree of pulmonary involvement, and existence of esophageal obstruction. We report management of two EBF cases representing extremes of the surgical spectrum.

Novel antiretroviral agents in HIV therapy.

There are many promising new agents in development for the treatment of HIV type 1 (HIV-1). The targets of antiretroviral drugs include the three major HIV-1 enzymes (reverse transcriptase, protease, and integrase), final packaging and export of mature virions, and entry mediated by the CD4 receptor and the CCR5 and CXCR4 coreceptors. Drugs in development in existing classes are primarily designed to provide new options for those with resistance to existing agents.